Friday morning we all woke up and we let Tiger and his pals, Jimmy and Paddy into our bedroom. (they sleep next door to us). Tiger made a beeline for the cat scratching post and attacked it wildly. I couldn't believe it because he hadn't done that it in days, maybe a week and here a few hours before he was to go to RB he was scratching with more energy and delight than I had seen in months! For a moment I panicked and thought, "what have I done?! He looks good, I should cancel the euthanasia" but then, as if he could hear what I was thinking, he immediately lay down next to the tree and it was obvious that it had really taken every bit of strength he had to 'get that tree' one last time. It was as if he were showing everyone in the room, "I've still got it and don't you forget it!" I was really struck at that moment by how truly majestic he was, what a 'king' he had always been in our family. For 13 years he maintained that position among all the cats, though some, like George and Oliver would routinely attempt to overthrow him, which always ended in a firm but fair reminder that 'today was not their day' and he would lift his big paw and push them down. They immediately knew each time that Tiger was still ruling the roost and would respectfully slink away.
On the night before he was PTS, George seemed to 'try' one last time and unbelievably, Tiger's paw found George's forehead and he reminded George that it was not yet his time.
Tiger was the only cat I've ever had that got along with everyone in the house. We've got cats that want to fight with other cats and they cannot be in the same room. We've got cats that get along with some of the other cats but are terrified of our dogs. We've got a cat that doesn't much care for any of the other animals in our house except herself (Sneakers of course!!). But Tiger got along with every single cat we have and every cat that we've ever had that has gone on to Rainbow Bridge (Jade, Honeybear, Koko, Chimney, Mr. Bones, Stewart, Beanie, Alexander and our old dog Smokey). He was very good friends as well with our two dogs Muddy and Finnigan and he would allow them to sniff and snurfle him until he was sopping wet with their doggy kisses.
I decided to bring Tiger to the vet on his soft microfleece blanket that he had been spending his last days and nights on rather than use a cage. He is normally very vocal when we are driving in the car but he sat on my lap and looked out the window and never made a sound. Of course, it was raining and I thought it was fitting that it was such a miserable day because that was how I felt. He watched all the trees whizzing by as my husband drove and I was a mess. I'm a mess writing this. We got to the ferry terminal and had a half hour wait for the boat to arrive. I was struggling through my explanation to him about where we were going and what was going to happen to him and about Rainbow Bridge and then my husband said "Lara, look!" and I looked up to see an enormous rainbow arching across the sky over the ocean. I burst into tears and felt such relief. To me it meant that he was going to be okay, that God was with us and waiting for him and that this was not the end, perhaps just the beginning. It was such a gift.
We got to the clinic and my husband said goodbye to Tiger. He was very sad. He had to stay with our dogs in the parking lot who were in the back of the truck because we were heading up North to see his parents afterward. (Muddy barks non-stop if he is left unattended). I walked around the back of the truck and opened up the canopy and let Muddy and Finnigan 'soak' Tiger one last time.
The vet, tech and receptionist were all so nice. They had become very familiar with Tiger over the past year and the receptionist had to leave the room after she said goodbye to Tiger because she started to get LES. My sweet boy was so quiet, I think he knew what was happening. The vet gave him a sedative and left me with him for a few minutes. I knew it was going to hit him fast so I kissed him on his forehead and looked him in the eye and told him how much I loved him and told him how sorry I was. I could see that his eyes were clouding and he was slipping away quickly. I told him to go and find Charlie at the Bridge and that I would be there someday too.
The vet came in and then gave him the injection and it was so fast and he was gone. They left me with him for a bit and I petted his fur and looked at his huge paws. I was reminded again by what a regal fellow he was as I looked at the perfect condition that his beautiful Maine Coon coat was in. This cat could barely swallow and for this reason, he was only lapping up tuna juice or gravy for the last week of his life but he never stopped grooming himself. He would spend hours taking care of that coat and I truly believe that it was very important to him to maintain his appearance and status right to the end. And indeed he did.
We had a 12 hour journey ahead of us and another ferry to catch afterward. Something happened on that trip that I will never forget for as long as I will live. Throughout that day we saw 3 more rainbows, one every 3 hours or so until it got dark. I thought to myself, "how many rainbows do I usually see in a year, let alone one day?!? Maybe 2 or 3 a year." I couldn't be sure if it was Tiger or God or both but it gave me such peace which I didn't expect to find that day.
I wanted to post on PT on Saturday when we got up here but my husband's parent's computer was down and we couldn't get on it until now. Sorry for the delay and sorry this is so long. We are driving home this afternoon and will be back by Tuesday a.m.
Thank you Candace for the very kind Tiger Tribute that you put together. It means a great deal and I looked at every picture and every video. As you said, Tiger threads only ever appeared in the Cat Health section so it seems fitting that his last thread be here too. Thank you everybody for all your support and suggestions and reading (Brody's Mom) over this past year. It has meant the world to me and helped Tiger to go on to have more time with us. I'm so grateful for that. He will be so missed and is dearly loved. My two favourite memories of him are images of him racing around our garden at our last home and climbing apple trees at an alarming speed only to bolt out of one to race up another! (this is when I used to let him go outside). The other memory is the look he had when he would run towards me from a distance when he was outside. He was so happy and his fur would all blow to one side, like a Lion's mane. I used to always think to myself that it looked like a scene out of a movie, like he was a star!
Run free Tiger, climb those trees and roll in the grass. I will see you again one day.
This is one last clip of Tiger that is just 30 seconds long or so but it's fitting for this thread. He is walking outside and the sun is shining towards the camera and it becomes over exposed and he looks like he is walking into Heaven.
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I have no doubt that he will soon have all the cats and other animals at RB under his kindly, firm paw.
12/02
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